Pesto and cheese toasties is the name I gave to toasted crustless flattened bread spread with pesto, topped with cheese then broiled just until the cheese melted.
I make my own pesto. I don’t always add nuts and, sometimes, I even skip the cheese part. And when I need only a small amount of pesto, I don’t bother with the blender. I simply hand-chop the basil and garlic.
But you don’t need to make your own pesto to enjoy these pesto and cheese toasties for breakfast. You can use pesto in jars that line the supermarket shelves. I can’t help you though with which brands are good and which aren’t.
So, whether you’re using homemade pesto or supermarket-bought, here’s how to prepare these toasties.
- 2 slices loaf bread
- 2 teaspoons pesto
- cheese as much as you like
-
Cut off the crusts of the bread, then toast lightly. Brush with pesto and sprinkle with your favorite cheese (grated or thinly sliced). If you’re watching your sodium intake, since pesto is already quite salty, you might want to choose a mildly salted cheese.
-
Pop the cheese-topped bread slices in the oven/griller for about 30 seconds or until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread are browned and crisp.
You may be wondering why the bread slices were toasted before they were spread with pesto when they would go into the oven later anyway. There's a good reason.
These pesto and cheese toasties were made with commercial bread which was so soft and airy that the bread slices would have turned soggy had I spread them with pesto without toasting them first.
If you're using better quality bread which can hold the pesto without disintegrating, you can skip the initial toasting.
